PCI and CABG for Treating Stable Coronary Artery Disease: JACC Review Topic of the Week

Percutaneous Versus Surgical Revascularization for Acute Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common medical condition in our clinical practice that should be treated with appropriate revascularization in a timely manner. Percutaneous revascularization (PR) has been the first-line treatment option when feasible. Limited data is available comparing PR to surgical revascularization (SR) in the AMI setting.

METHODS

Study population was extracted from the 2016 Nationwide Readmissions Data using International Classification of Diseases, tenth edition, clinical modifications/procedure coding system codes for AMI, PR, SR, and procedural complications. Study endpoints included in-hospital all-cause mortality, length of index hospital stay (LOS), stroke, acute kidney injury, bleeding, need for blood transfusion, acute respiratory failure, and total hospital charges.

RESULTS

The study identified 45,539 discharges with a principal admission diagnosis of AMI (38.7% ST elevation and 61.3% non-ST elevation) who had either PR or SR as a principal procedure (79.1% PR versus 20.9% SR). Single vessel revascularization was performed in 67.8% (93.1% had PR versus 6.9% had SR, p < 0.01). Multivessel revascularization was performed in 32.2% (64.8% had PR versus 35.2% had SR, p < 0.01). 83% of SR was in the setting of non-ST elevation AMI (NSTEMI). In comparison to SR, PR was associated with higher in-hospital all-cause mortality (3.7% versus 2.2%, p < 0.01), shorter LOS (4.3 versus 11.6 days, p < 0.01), and lower incidence of post-procedural stroke (1.0% versus 1.8%, p < 0.01), acute kidney injury (14.9% versus 24.8%, p < 0.01), bleeding (4.3% versus 47.1%, p < 0.01), need for blood transfusion (2.9% versus 18.5%, p < 0.01), acute respiratory failure (10.7% versus 19.8%, p < 0.01), and total hospital charges (120,590$ versus 229,917$, p < 0.01). These results persist after adjustment for baseline characteristics. In a subgroup analysis, SR mortality benefit persisted in patients who had multivessel revascularization (in both ST and non-ST elevation AMI), but not in single vessel revascularization.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients presented with AMI, PR was associated with higher in-hospital all-cause mortality but lower morbidity, shorter LOS, and lower total hospital charges than SR. However, the mortality benefit of SR was seen in multivessel revascularization only, and not in single vessel revascularization.

Short-term and long-term outcomes of revascularization interventions for patients with severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction: a meta-analysis

AIMS

This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be preferred in patients with severely reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from the conception of the databases till 1 May 2020 for studies on patients with severely reduced LV ejection fraction undergoing CABG and PCI. The primary clinical endpoints were 30 day and long-term mortalities. The secondary endpoints were 30 day and long-term incidences of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, long-term cardiovascular mortality, and repeat revascularization. Eighteen studies involving 11 686 patients were analysed. Compared with PCI, CABG had lower long-term mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61-0.80, P < 0.01], cardiovascular mortality (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43-0.85, P < 0.01), MI (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.72, P < 0.01), and repeat revascularization (HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.23-0.47, P < 0.01) risk. Significant differences were not observed for long-term stroke (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.74-1.87, P = 0.49), 30 day mortality (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.89-1.56, P = 0.25), and MI (HR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.16-1.11, P = 0.08) risk. CABG was associated with a higher risk of stroke within 30 days (HR: 2.88, 95% CI: 1.07-7.77, P = 0.04). In a subgroup analysis of propensity score-matched studies, CABG was associated with a higher long-term risk of stroke (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.20-2.16, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with severely reduced LV ejection fraction, CABG resulted in a lower mortality rate and an increased risk of stroke.

Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality in Randomized Clinical Trials Comparing Percutaneous Interventions With Coronary Bypass Surgery: A Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Mortality is a common outcome in trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Controversy exists regarding whether all-cause mortality or cardiac mortality is preferred as a study end point, because noncardiac mortality should be unrelated to the treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the difference in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing PCI with CABG for the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE (1946 to the present), Embase (1974 to the present), and the Cochrane Library (1992 to the present) databases were searched on November 24, 2019. Reference lists of included articles were also searched, and additional studies were included if appropriate.

STUDY SELECTION

Articles were considered for inclusion if they were in English, were RCTs comparing PCI with drug-eluting or bare-metal stents and CABG for the treatment of coronary artery disease, and reported mortality and/or cause-specific mortality. Trials of PCI involving angioplasty without stenting were excluded. For each included trial, the publication with the longest follow-up duration for each outcome was selected.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

For data extraction, all studies were reviewed by 2 independent investigators, and disagreements were resolved by a third investigator in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guideline. Data were pooled using fixed- and random-effects models.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific (cardiac vs noncardiac) mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed for PCI trials using drug-eluting vs bare-metal stents and for trials involving patients with left main disease.

RESULTS

Twenty-three unique trials were included involving 13 620 unique patients (6829 undergoing PCI and 6791 undergoing CABG; men, 39.9%-99.0% of study populations; mean age range, 60.0-71.0 years). The weighted mean (SD) follow-up was 5.3 (3.6) years. Compared with CABG, PCI was associated with a higher rate of all-cause (incidence rate ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.05-1.29) and cardiac (incidence rate ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.05-1.45) mortality but also noncardiac mortality (incidence rate ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.00-1.41).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with higher all-cause, cardiac, and noncardiac mortality compared with CABG at 5 years. The significantly higher noncardiac mortality associated with PCI suggests that even noncardiac deaths after PCI may be procedure related and supports the use of all-cause mortality as the end point for myocardial revascularization trials.

Ten-year all-cause mortality according to smoking status in patients with severe coronary artery disease undergoing surgical or percutaneous revascularization

AIMS

To evaluate the impact of various smoking status on 10-year all-cause mortality and to examine a relative treatment benefit of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) vs. percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) according to smoking habits.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The SYNTAX Extended Survival study evaluated vital status up to 10 years in 1800 patients with de novo three-vessel disease and/or left main coronary artery disease randomized to CABG or PCI in the SYNTAX trial. In the present analysis, patients were divided into three groups (current, former, or never smokers), and the primary endpoint of 10-year all-cause mortality was assessed according to smoking status. Smoking status was available in 1793 (99.6%) patients at the time of randomization, of whom 363 were current smokers, 798 were former smokers, and 632 were never smokers. The crude rates of 10-year all-cause mortality were 29.7% in current smokers, 25.3% in former smokers, and 25.9% in never smokers (Log-rank P = 0.343). After adjustment for imbalances in baseline characteristics, current smokers had a significantly higher risk of 10-year all-cause mortality than never smokers [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 2.29; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.60-3.27; P < 0.001], whereas former smokers did not. PCI was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality than CABG among current smokers (HR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.09-2.35; P = 0.017), but it failed to show a significant interaction between revascularization strategies and smoking status (Pinteraction = 0.910).

CONCLUSION

Current smokers had a higher adjusted risk of 10-year all-cause mortality, whereas former smokers did not. The treatment effect of CABG vs. PCI did not differ significantly according to smoking status.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

SYNTAX: ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT00114972; SYNTAX Extended Survival. ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT03417050.

Impact of Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients ≥75 Years Old Presenting With Acute Myocardial Infarction (From the National Readmission Database)

Patients ≥75 years old presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have complex coronary anatomy in part due to prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), calcific and valvular disease. Using the National Readmission Database from January 2016 to November 2017, we identified hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction in patients ≥75 years old and divided them based on a history of CABG. We evaluated in-hospital outcomes, 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission and predictors of PCI in cohorts. Out of a total of 296,062 patients ≥75 years old presenting with an AMI, 42,147 (14%) had history of previous CABG. Most presented with a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, and those with previous CABG had higher burden of co-morbidities and were more commonly man. The in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in those with previous CABG (6.7% vs 8.8%, adjusted odds ratio, 0.88, 95% confidence interval, 0.82 to 0.94). Medical therapy was more common in those with previous CABG and 30-day readmission rates were seen more frequently in those with prior CABG. Predictors of not undergoing PCI included previous PCI, female, older ager groups, heart failure, dementia, malignancy, and higher number of co-morbidities. In conclusion, in patients ≥75 years old with AMI the presence of prior CABG was associated with lower odds of in-hospital and 30-day mortality, as well as lower complications rates, and a decreased use of invasive strategies (PCI, CABG, and MCS). However, 30-day MACE readmission was higher in those with previous CABG.

Impedimetric Detection and Electromediated Apoptosis of Vascular Smooth Muscle Using Microfabricated Biosensors for Diagnosis and Therapeutic Intervention in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases remain a significant global burden with 1-in-3 of all deaths attributable to the consequences of the disease. The main cause is blocked arteries which often remain undetected. Implantable medical devices (IMDs) such as stents and grafts are often used to reopen vessels but over time these too will re-block. A vascular biosensor is developed that can report on cellularity and is amenable to being mounted on a stent or graft for remote reporting. Moreover, the device is designed to also receive currents that can induce a controlled form of cell death, apoptosis. A combined diagnostic and therapeutic biosensor would be transformational for the treatment of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and central line access. In this work, a cell sensing and cell apoptosing system based on the same interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) is developed. It is shown that the device is scalable and that by miniaturizing the IDEs, the detection sensitivity is increased. Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells is monitored using continuous impedance measurements at a frequency of 10 kHz and rates of cell death are tracked using fluorescent dyes and live cell imaging.

Health Care Monitoring and Treatment for Coronary Artery Diseases: Challenges and Issues

In-stent restenosis concerning the coronary artery refers to the blood clotting-caused re-narrowing of the blocked section of the artery, which is opened using a stent. The failure rate for stents is in the range of 10% to 15%, where they do not remain open, thereby leading to about 40% of the patients with stent implantations requiring repeat procedure within one year, despite increased risk factors and the administration of expensive medicines. Hence, today stent restenosis is a significant cause of deaths globally. Monitoring and treatment matter a lot when it comes to early diagnosis and treatment. A review of the present stent monitoring technology as well as the practical treatment for addressing stent restenosis was conducted. The problems and challenges associated with current stent monitoring technology were illustrated, along with its typical applications. Brief suggestions were given and the progress of stent implants was discussed. It was revealed that prime requisites are needed to achieve good quality implanted stent devices in terms of their size, reliability, etc. This review would positively prompt researchers to augment their efforts towards the expansion of healthcare systems. Lastly, the challenges and concerns associated with nurturing a healthcare system were deliberated with meaningful evaluations.

Mapping decision making for bypass surgery in the era of interventional medicine: towards an integrative model of patient-centeredness

This article reviews the context and evidence of recent myocardial revascularization trials on PCI versus CABG with particular emphasis on patient selection and treatment of surgical patients. Moreover, one of our intended purposes is to identify the values underpinning the integrated care model, which incorporates decision to proceed with surgical myocardial revascularization in conjunction with established pillars of the use of optimal surgical techniques, and aggressive risk-factor modification through guideline-directed pharmacological therapies and lifestyle modifications.

Percutaneous or surgical revascularization is associated with survival benefit in stable coronary artery disease

Aims 

We assessed the association between early invasive therapy, burden of ischaemia, and survival benefit separately for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Ischaemia involving more than 10% of the left ventricular myocardium may identify patients who benefit from revascularization. However, it is not clear whether this association exists with both PCI and CABG.

Materials and results

Patients who underwent single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) between 1992 and 2012 were identified. Early revascularization was defined as PCI or CABG performed within 90 days of SPECT MPI. The association between early PCI or CABG and all-cause mortality was assessed using a doubly robust, propensity score matching analysis. In total, 54 522 patients were identified, with median follow-up 8.0 years. Early PCI was performed in 2688 patients and early CABG in 1228. In the matched cohorts, early revascularization was associated with improved survival compared to medical therapy in patients with more than 15% ischaemia for both PCI [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, P = 0.002] and CABG (adjusted HR 0.73, P = 0.008).

Conclusion 

In this observational analysis, both PCI and CABG were associated with reduced all-cause mortality in the presence of moderate to severe ischaemia after adjusting for factors leading to revascularization. As the threshold for improved outcomes with revascularization was similar for PCI and CABG, our results suggest that decisions for PCI vs. CABG for early revascularization should be determined by coronary anatomy, patient characteristics, and shared decision making, but not by the burden of ischaemia.

Multidisciplinary Heart Team Approach for Complex Coronary Artery Disease: Single Center Clinical Presentation

Background The Heart Team approach is ascribed a Class I recommendation in contemporary guidelines for revascularization of complex coronary artery disease. However, limited data are available regarding the decision-making and outcomes of patients based on this strategy. Methods and Results One hundred sixty-six high-risk coronary artery disease patients underwent Heart Team evaluation at a single institution between January 2015 and November 2018. We prospectively collected data on demographics, symptoms, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality/Synergy Between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (STS-PROM/SYNTAX) scores, mode of revascularization, and outcomes. Mean age was 70.0 years; 122 (73.5%) patients were male. Prevalent comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (51.8%), peripheral artery disease (38.6%), atrial fibrillation (27.1%), end-stage renal disease on dialysis (13.3%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (21.7%). Eighty-seven (52.4%) patients had New York Heart Association III-IV and 112 (67.5%) had Canadian Cardiovascular Society III-IV symptomatology. Sixty-seven (40.4%) patients had left main and 118 (71.1%) had 3-vessel coronary artery disease. The median STS-PROM was 3.6% (interquartile range 1.9, 8.0) and SYNTAX score was 26 (interquartile range 20, 34). The median number of physicians per Heart Team meeting was 6 (interquartile range 5, 8). Seventy-nine (47.6%) and 49 (29.5%) patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively. With increasing STS-PROM (low, intermediate, high operative risk), coronary artery bypass graft was performed less often (47.9%, 18.5%, 15.2%) and optimal medical therapy was recommended more often (11.3%, 18.5%, 30.3%). There were no trends in recommendation for coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, or optimal medical therapy by SYNTAX score tertiles. In-hospital and 30-day mortality was 3.9% and 4.8%, respectively. Conclusions Integrating a multidisciplinary Heart Team into institutional practice is feasible and provides a formalized approach to evaluating complex coronary artery disease patients. The comprehensive assessment of surgical, anatomical, and other risk scores using a decision aid may guide appropriate, evidence-based management within this team-based construct.

Long-Term (10-Year) Outcomes of Stenting or Bypass Surgery for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus

Background Data are still limited regarding whether there are differential long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease with or without diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods and Results Using the 10-year data from the MAIN-COMPARE (Revascularization for Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis: Comparison of Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty Versus Surgical Revascularization) registry, we sought to examine the effect of DM on comparative outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention or CABG in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease. The outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality; a composite of death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, or stroke; and target-vessel revascularization. The primary adjusted analyses were performed with the use of propensity scores and inverse-probability weighting. Of 2240 patients with left main coronary artery revascularization, 722 (32%) had DM. In the overall population, the adjusted 10-year risks of death and composite outcome were similar between percutaneous coronary intervention and CABG, irrespective of DM status (P_interaction: 0.41, mortality; 0.40, composite outcome). However, in the cohort of bare-metal stents and concurrent CABG, we observed differential outcomes after stenting and CABG by DM status (P_interaction: 0.09, mortality; 0.04, composite outcome), favoring CABG in patients with DM. In the cohort of drug-eluting stents and concurrent CABG, the better effect of CABG over stenting was narrowed in patients with DM without a significant interaction (P_interaction: 0.63, mortality; 0.47, composite outcome). Conclusions In this cohort of patients with longest follow-up who underwent left main coronary artery revascularization, the clinical impact of DM favoring CABG over percutaneous coronary intervention has diminished over time from the bare-metal stent to the drug-eluting stent era. Registration URL: http://www.clini​caltr​ials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02791412.

Multi-arterial and total-arterial coronary revascularization: Past, present, and future perspective

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY

Although abundant biological, clinical, and scientific evidence exists on the superiority of multi-arterial (MAR) and total-arterial revascularization (TAR) over the conventional strategy with a single internal thoracic artery, only 10% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the United States receives a second arterial conduit, and only 5% of patients receives TAR.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In January 2020, the authors performed comprehensive search to identify studies that evaluated MAR and TAR strategies through the MEDLINE database.

CONCLUSIONS

In this paper, the authors reviewed the literature on the historical and current evidence in favor of MAR and TAR, thus underlying why current CABG practice needs qualitative improvement.

Clinical Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Although cardiologists have long treated patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), T2DM has traditionally been considered just a comorbidity that affected the development and progression of the disease. Over the past decade, a number of factors have shifted that have forced the cardiology community to reconsider the role of T2DM in CAD. First, in addition to being associated with increased cardiovascular risk, T2DM has the potential to affect a number of treatment choices for CAD. In this document, we discuss the role that T2DM has in the selection of testing for CAD, in medical management (both secondary prevention strategies and treatment of stable angina), and in the selection of revascularization strategy. Second, although glycemic control has been recommended as a part of comprehensive risk factor management in patients with CAD, there is mounting evidence that the mechanism by which glucose is managed can have a substantial impact on cardiovascular outcomes. In this document, we discuss the role of glycemic management (both in intensity of control and choice of medications) in cardiovascular outcomes. It is becoming clear that the cardiologist needs both to consider T2DM in cardiovascular treatment decisions and potentially to help guide the selection of glucose-lowering medications. Our statement provides a comprehensive summary of effective, patient-centered management of CAD in patients with T2DM, with emphasis on the emerging evidence. Given the increasing prevalence of T2DM and the accumulating evidence of the need to consider T2DM in treatment decisions, this knowledge will become ever more important to optimize our patients' cardiovascular outcomes.

Fractional Flow Reserve-Based Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Current Evidence and Future Directions

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) provides an objective measurement of the severity of ischemia caused by coronary stenoses in downstream myocardial regions. Data from the interventional cardiology realm have suggested benefits of a FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) strategy. Limited evidence is available on the use of FFR to guide coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The most recent data have shown that FFR might simplify CABG procedures and optimize patency of arterial grafts without any clear impact on clinical outcomes. The aim of this review was to summarize the available data on FFR-based CABG and discuss the rationale and potential consequences of a switch toward FFR-based surgical revascularization strategy.

Maier L, Sechtem U, Silber S, Thiele H. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Stable Coronary Heart Disease -Is Less More?

BACKGROUND

This review concerns the putative benefit of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over optimal medical therapy (OMT) for symptomatic patients with stable angina pectoris, or for asymptomatic persons in whom screening tests have revealed coronary heart disease (CHD; this entity has been newly designated chronic coronary syndrome, or CCS). Moreover, it addresses the question whether the indications for which PCI is now performed in Germany on patients with CCS are consistent with current scientific knowledge.

METHODS

The pathophysiological concept of CHD and ischemia induction is discussed in the light of the scientific literature. This concept implies that PCI might be beneficial in the treatment of CCS. The benefit of PCI over OMT has now been evaluated in seven randomized trials (the so-called milestone trials). The current situation in Germany is presented here as well, on the basis of the available data.

RESULTS

The pathophysiological concept of CHD implies that the particular coronary artery stenoses that are likely to give rise to a myocardial infarction (the so-called vulnerable plaques) cannot be identified prospectively with current methods. Moreover, a coronary artery stenosis will not necessarily cause myocardial ischemia. All of the randomized trials carried out to date that have compared OMT to PCI-plus-OMT in patients with CCS have led to the conclusion that PCI, because it focuses on individual coronary artery stenoses, cannot prolong survival or lower the incidence of myocardial infarction over the long term. This remains the case even if a single coronary artery stenosis is known to be causing moderate or severe myocardial ischemia (a conclusion of the ISCHEMIA trial). A PCI performed only because the coronary stenosis or stenoses meet certain morphological criteria, without any demonstration of a resulting functional disturbance, is generally detrimental to the health of the patient, with rare exceptions, and is inconsistent with the recommendations of current guidelines. The number of PCIs being performed in Germany at present is high compared to other countries; this arouses concern that the indications for it may be dubious in many cases.

CONCLUSION

Current data imply that PCI for CCS does not improve outcomes in a large percentage of cases. A symptomatic benefit exists only in patients with frequent angina pectoris. The selection of CCS patients for PCI needs to be more strictly bound to the recommendations of current guidelines, particularly in Germany.

Mortality After Repeat Revascularization Following PCI or CABG for Left Main Disease: The EXCEL Trial

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and impact on mortality of repeat revascularization after index percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD).

BACKGROUND

The impact on mortality of the need of repeat revascularization following PCI or CABG in patients with unprotected LMCAD is unknown.

METHODS

All patients with LMCAD and site-assessed low or intermediate SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) scores randomized to PCI (n = 948) or CABG (n = 957) in the EXCEL (Evaluation of XIENCE Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) trial were included. Repeat revascularization events were adjudicated by an independent clinical events committee. The effect of repeat revascularization on mortality through 3-year follow-up was examined in time-varying Cox regression models.

RESULTS

During 3-year follow-up, there were 346 repeat revascularization procedures among 185 patients. PCI was associated with higher rates of any repeat revascularization (12.9% vs. 7.6%; hazard ratio: 1.73; 95% confidence interval: 1.28 to 2.33; p = 0.0003). Need for repeat revascularization was independently associated with increased risk for 3-year all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.13 to 3.70; p = 0.02) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 4.22; 95% confidence interval: 2.10 to 8.48; p < 0.0001) consistently after both PCI and CABG (p_int = 0.85 for both endpoints). Although target vessel revascularization and target lesion revascularization were both associated with an increased risk for mortality, target vessel non-target lesion revascularization and non-target vessel revascularization were not.

CONCLUSIONS

In the EXCEL trial, repeat revascularization during follow-up was performed less frequently after CABG than PCI and was associated with increased mortality after both procedures. Reducing the need for repeat revascularization may further improve long-term survival after percutaneous or surgical treatment of LMCAD. (EXCEL Clinical Trial; NCT01205776).

Late clinical outcomes of myocardial hybrid revascularization versus coronary artery bypass grafting for complex triple-vessel disease: Long-term follow-up of the randomized MERGING clinical trial

OBJECTIVES

This article aimed to compare the outcomes after hybrid revascularization with conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

BACKGROUND

The concept of hybrid coronary revascularization combines the advantages of CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention to improve the treatment of patients with complex multivessel disease.

METHODS

The Myocardial hybrid revascularization versus coronary artERy bypass GraftING for complex triple-vessel disease-MERGING study is a pilot randomized trial that allocated 60 patients with complex triple-vessel disease to treatment with hybrid revascularization or conventional CABG (2:1 ratio). The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or unplanned repeat revascularization at 2 years.

RESULTS

Clinical and anatomical characteristics were similar between groups. After a mean follow-up of 802 ± 500 days, the primary endpoint rate was 19.3% in the hybrid arm and 5.9% in the CABG arm (p = NS). The incidence of unplanned revascularization increased over time in both groups, reaching 14.5 versus 5.9% in the hybrid and in the CABG groups, respectively (p = .4). Of note, in the hybrid group, there were no reinterventions driven by the occurrence of stent restenosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Hybrid myocardial was feasible but associated with increasing rates of major adverse cardiovascular events during 2 years of clinical follow-up, while the control group treated with conventional surgery presented with low rates of complications during the same period. In conclusion, before more definitive data arise, hybrid revascularization should be applied with careful attention in practice, following a selective case-by-case indication.

A network pharmacology approach to reveal the protective mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza-Dalbergia odorifera coupled-herbs on coronary heart disease

Salvia miltiorrhiza-Dalbergia odorifera coupled-herbs (SMDOCH) has been used to treat coronary heart disease (CHD) for thousands of years, but its unclear bioactive components and mechanisms greatly limit its clinical application. In this study, for the first time, we used network pharmacology to elucidate the mechanisms of action of SMDOCH on CHD. We collected 270 SMDOCH-related targets from 74 bioactive components and 375 CHD-related targets, with 58 overlapping common targets. Next, we performed enrichment analysis for common-target network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The results showed that SMDOCH affected CHD mainly through 10 significant signaling pathways in three biological processes: 'vascular endothelial function regulation', 'inflammatory response', and 'lipid metabolism'. Six pathways belonged to the 'vascular endothelial function regulation' model, which primarily regulated hormone (renin, angiotensin, oestrogen) activity, and included three key upstream pathways that influence vascular endothelial function, namely KEGG:04933, KEGG:05418, and KEGG:04066. Three pathways, namely KEGG:04668, KEGG:04064, and KEGG:04620, belonged to the 'inflammatory response' model. One pathway (KEGG:04920) belonged to the 'lipid metabolism' model. To some extent, this study revealed the potential bioactive components and pharmacological mechanisms of SMDOCH on CHD, and provided a new direction for the development of new drugs for the treatment of CHD.

Effects of intensive lipid-lowering therapy on mortality after coronary bypass surgery: A meta-analysis of 7 randomised trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The recent reported analysis from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial showed that patients with previous coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG) had enhanced clinical benefits in response to intensive low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c). Nonetheless, the impact on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality was difficult to ascertain given the relatively small number.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis investigating the role of more versus less intensive lipid-lowering treatment, taking into consideration the difference in studies duration when reporting treatment effect.

RESULTS

A significant 14% reduction in deaths from any cause [RR 0.86 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.99)] and 25% reduction in cardiovascular mortality [RR 0.75, (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.86)] were associated with intensive LDL-c reduction in patients post CABG. Importantly, this reduction was apparent in patients who were stable or developed an acute coronary syndrome following CABG.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with previous CABG incurred reduction in all-cause mortality and particularly cardiovascular mortality in response to intensive LDL-c reduction. Patient's clinical presentation following CABG did not modulate the associated benefits with intensive LDL-c reduction. Characterising atherosclerotic disease may help identify other high-risk groups who may benefit maximally from additional lipid-lowering therapies.

When the Complex Meets the High-Risk: Mechanical Cardiac Support Devices and Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Severe Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Few practice guidelines directly address the issue of revascularization in patients with CAD at higher risk of periprocedural complications. It remains a challenge to appropriately identify the subset of patients with CAD who will require short-term use of mechanical cardiocirculatory support devices (MCSDs) when high-risk (HR) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is required. Issues of the complexity (coronary anatomy and high burden of comorbidities) and risk status (hemodynamic precarity or compromise) need to be considered when considering revascularization in patients. This review will focus on the evolving concept of protected PCI in patients with CAD, and how a balanced, integrated heart-team approach remains the path to optimal patient-centred care in the setting of HR-PCI supported with MCSD.

Ablation of atrial fibrillation during coronary artery bypass grafting: Late outcomes in a Medicare population

BACKGROUND

This study compares outcomes of patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with or without concomitant atrial fibrillation ablation in a nationally representative Medicare cohort.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined early and late outcomes in CABG patients with a preoperative history of atrial fibrillation to determine the correlation between surgical atrial fibrillation ablation to mortality and stroke or systemic embolization.

METHODS

In the Medicare-linked Society of Thoracic Surgeons database, 361,138 patients underwent isolated CABG from 2006 to 2013; 34,600 (9.6%) had preoperative atrial fibrillation; 10,541 (30.5%) were treated with surgical ablation (ablation group), and 23,059 were not (no ablation group). Propensity score matching was performed using a hierarchical mixed model. Long-term survival was summarized using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models with robust variance estimation. The stroke or systemic embolization incidence was modeled using the Fine-Gray model. Median follow-up was 4 years.

RESULTS

Long-term mortality in propensity score-matched CABG patients (mean age 74 years; Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score, 2.25) receiving ablation versus no ablation was similar (log-rank P = .30). Stroke or systemic embolization occurred in 2.2% versus 2.1% at 30 days and 9.9% versus 12.0% at 5 years (Gray P = .0091). Landmark analysis from 2 to 5 years showed lower mortality (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval 0.82-0.97; P = .0358) and lower risk of stroke or systemic embolization (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.87; P = .0006) in the ablation group.

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant ablation in CABG patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation is associated with lower stroke or systemic embolization and mortality in patients who survive more than 2 years.

Trends in Guideline-Driven Revascularization in Diabetic Patients with Multivessel Coronary Heart Disease

In diabetes patients with chronic ≥3 vessel disease, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) holds a class I recommendation in the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) 2011 guidelines, and this classification has not changed to date. Much of the literature has focused upon whether CABG or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) produces better outcomes; there is a paucity of data comparing the odds of receiving these procedures. A secondary analysis was conducted in a de-identified database comprised of 30,482 patients satisfying the entry criteria. Odds of occurrence (CABG, PCI) were determined as the binary dependent variable in period 1, (17 October 2009 through 31 December 2011), and period 2 (1 January 2013 through 16 March 2015), before and after the 2011 guidelines, while controlling for gender, ethnicity/race, and ischemic heart disease as covariates. The odds of performing CABG rather than PCI in period 2 were not statistically significantly different than in period 1 (p = 0.400). The logistic regression model chi-square statistic was statistically significant, with χ₂ (7) = 308.850, p < 0.0001. The Wald statistic showed that ethnicity/race (African American, Caucasian, Hispanic and Other), gender, and heart disease contributed significantly to the prediction model with p < 0.05, but ethnicity ‘Unknown’ did not. The odds of CABG versus PCI in period 2 were 0.98 times those in period 1 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.925, 1.032), statistically controlling for covariates. There was no significant rise in the odds of undergoing a CABG among this dataset of high-risk patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary heart disease. Modern practice has evolved regarding patient choice and additional variables that impact the final revascularization method employed. The degree to which odds of occurrence of procedures are a reliable surrogate for provider compliance with guidelines remains uncertain.

The Future of Cardiovascular Stents: Bioresorbable and Integrated Biosensor Technology

Cardiovascular disease is the greatest cause of death worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the underlying pathology responsible for two thirds of these deaths. It is the age-dependent process of "furring of the arteries." In many scenarios the disease is caused by poor diet, high blood pressure, and genetic risk factors, and is exacerbated by obesity, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyle. Current pharmacological anti-atherosclerotic modalities still fail to control the disease and improvements in clinical interventions are urgently required. Blocked atherosclerotic arteries are routinely treated in hospitals with an expandable metal stent. However, stented vessels are often silently re-blocked by developing "in-stent restenosis," a wound response, in which the vessel's lumen renarrows by excess proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, termed hyperplasia. Herein, the current stent technology and the future of biosensing devices to overcome in-stent restenosis are reviewed. Second, with advances in nanofabrication, new sensing methods and how researchers are investigating ways to integrate biosensors within stents are highlighted. The future of implantable medical devices in the context of the emerging "Internet of Things" and how this will significantly influence future biosensor technology for future generations are also discussed.

Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with three-vessel or left main coronary artery disease: 10-year follow-up of the multicentre randomised controlled SYNTAX trial

BACKGROUND

The Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial was a non-inferiority trial that compared percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease, and reported results up to 5 years. We now report 10-year all-cause death results.

METHODS

The SYNTAX Extended Survival (SYNTAXES) study is an investigator-driven extension of follow-up of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial done in 85 hospitals across 18 North American and European countries. Patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease were randomly assigned (1:1) to the PCI group or CABG group. Patients with a history of PCI or CABG, acute myocardial infarction, or an indication for concomitant cardiac surgery were excluded. The primary endpoint of the SYNTAXES study was 10-year all-cause death, which was assessed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed according to the presence or absence of left main coronary artery disease and diabetes, and according to coronary complexity defined by core laboratory SYNTAX score tertiles. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03417050.

FINDINGS

From March, 2005, to April, 2007, 1800 patients were randomly assigned to the PCI (n=903) or CABG (n=897) group. Vital status information at 10 years was complete for 841 (93%) patients in the PCI group and 848 (95%) patients in the CABG group. At 10 years, 248 (28%) patients had died after PCI and 212 (24%) after CABG (hazard ratio 1·19 [95% CI 0·99-1·43], p=0·066). Among patients with three-vessel disease, 153 (28%) of 546 had died after PCI versus 114 (21%) of 549 after CABG (hazard ratio 1·42 [95% CI 1·11-1·81]), and among patients with left main coronary artery disease, 95 (27%) of 357 had died after PCI versus 98 (28%) of 348 after CABG (0·92 [0·69-1·22], p_interaction=0·023). There was no treatment-by-subgroup interaction with diabetes (p_interaction=0·60) and no linear trend across SYNTAX score tertiles (p_trend=0·20).

INTERPRETATION

At 10 years, no significant difference existed in all-cause death between PCI using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents and CABG. However, CABG provided a significant survival benefit in patients with three-vessel disease, but not in patients with left main coronary artery disease.

FUNDING

German Foundation of Heart Research (SYNTAXES study, 5-10-year follow-up) and Boston Scientific Corporation (SYNTAX study, 0-5-year follow-up).

Increased Serum Parathyroid Hormone, Osteocalcin and Alkaline Phosphatase Are Associated with a Long-Term Adverse Cardiovascular Outcome after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Despite the fact that an association of osteopoenia/osteoporosis with elevated risk of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and coronary atherosclerosis (CA) is well-established, it remains unclear whether bone turnover markers can be employed in long-term prognostication of such patients. Here we measured serum calcium, phosphate, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteoprotegerin, osteocalcin, osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase and its bone isoenzyme, subsequently correlating them with an adverse cardiovascular outcome after 3 years of follow-up. The extent of brachiocephalic artery stenosis, CA, or CAC, as well as prevalence of osteopoenia/osteoporosis before the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, did not differ between outcome groups, suggesting that subtle molecular mechanisms might be involved in determining the outcome rather than clinical or subclinical disease. After stepwise logistic regression, serum osteocalcin > 26.8 ng/mL and PTH > 49.1 pg/mL were independent predictors of an adverse outcome. Serum ionised calcium correlated with multivessel coronary artery disease; moreover, patients with severe CA (SYNTAX score > 21) had higher serum ionised calcium than those with mild CA. Likewise, serum alkaline phosphatase was associated with severe CA and CAC (Agatston score > 400). In conclusion, serum PTH, osteocalcin, and alkaline phosphatase are associated with an adverse cardiovascular outcome 3 years after CABG surgery regardless of osteopoenia/osteoporosis, coronary/peripheral atherosclerosis, and CAC.